Would love to hear from our mayor to know his viewpoint....

https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/studies/dirtiest-cities-in-united-states/

Their study is based on their criteria for a dirty city. I don't think OKC is trashy. Tulsa ranked 22. Tulsa's not a dirty city. We don't have a pollution problem. The study is done by LawnStarter.....who cares. Means nothing.

They obviously don't count human waste on the sidewalk and drug needles as "dirty".

I’m personally not surprised. I’ve always thought our city was a little on the dirty side. Even in some of the nicest areas I tend to see more litter and unkempt things then I think should be there.

They obviously don't count human waste on the sidewalk and drug needles as "dirty".

This sounds more like a political statement than a scientific or ecological one.

I like how it hyperlinks the exact same article you’re already reading within the article.

Regardless, I always love reading my favorite Lawn Starter columnist, “Staff Writer.”

First, no. No possible way. Pure BS.
Second, look at the source. Lawnstarter? Why even post it?

The way household trash is picker up plus the wind we always seem to have contributes to a lot of litter. Also many people seem to think just throwing trash out of their cars and trucks is OK. I live on a busy through street and seem to be always picking up others trash on my property.

This sounds more like a political statement than a scientific or ecological one.

How is this political? It's fact in many cities and has been for a while.

They obviously don't count human waste on the sidewalk and drug needles as "dirty".

The human waste on sidewalks isn’t a problem here because OKC doesn’t have any sidewalks. We are playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers.

The human waste on sidewalks isn’t a problem here because OKC doesn’t have any sidewalks. We are playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers.

Savage. lol

How is this political? It's fact in many cities and has been for a while.

That is Rover just being Rover. Roll your eyes and move on.

One comment I hear regularly from out of towners is how clean OKC is. Would like to know the criteria they used.

One comment I hear regularly from out of towners is how clean OKC is. Would like to know the criteria they used.

The methodology is in the article.

That is Rover just being Rover. Roll your eyes and move on.

Beautifully said, JTF!

How is this political? It's fact in many cities and has been for a while.

Because it is greatly an anecdotal observation and not a measured statistic. It is usually used by persons who have an ideological grudge against certain cities they view as more liberal.

I was surprised it was from JTF because I respect most of his positions a great deal. They are almost always based in facts and not emotions, and he is almost always more knowledgeable about the subject than 98% of the other posters.

I love OKC and have chosen to live here for more than a half century. But having traveled extensively for those years, I have a hard time disagreeing with OKC being one of the dirtier cities. Trash on the streets, in parking areas, in public areas, in private yards, is pervasive. I wish more people were proud of their neighborhoods and cities and took more care to not create trash and eyesores. It costs nothing to stoop over and pick up a piece of trash, or to not throw it down in the first place.

I apologize for "eye rolling" comments. I just read a lot of ill or un-informed information on this board from time to time and question it. I tend to think of this board as a non-typical social media with a higher standard for facts. I often try to present a counter point and question of the basis of an opinion or observation that seems to be, or I know to be off the rails. When we challenge each other in a good way, I think we all become better informed and less naïve. I have been informed many times based on what I have read here and have changed opinions because of it.

Their study is based on their criteria for a dirty city. I don't think OKC is trashy. Tulsa ranked 22. Tulsa's not a dirty city. We don't have a pollution problem. The study is done by LawnStarter.....who cares. Means nothing.

Tulsa ranked #22. That's where they lost their credibility.

Because it is greatly an anecdotal observation and not a measured statistic.

It's also kind of indicative of how varied people's experience can be within the same city. I think this is especially true in a city like OKC, where the sprawling geography can really insulate parts of the population from others.

I often hear people discuss problems of homelessness and drug addition, like needles and feces, in other cities as if that isn't present in Oklahoma City. Unfortunately, there are parts of the city where it it is as much an issue and as visible as it is in the cities typically associated with these problems.

As for these rankings, the basis for the scoring seems to incorporate a lot of different metrics across several different categories and then an arbitrary weighting system was applied. I don't think it really shows the relative "dirtiness" of the cities it ranks, in terms of trash in the streets, etc. In fact, all the other metrics considered are probably obscuring that conclusion. IMO, The raw data for each metric would be more useful and more interesting than the weighted composite score they came up with.

I don't want to add a click to their non sense, so fill me in maybe?

I don't want to add a click to their non sense, so fill me in maybe?

I think you have come to the correct conclusion with the information you have. lol

Because it is greatly an anecdotal observation and not a measured statistic. It is usually used by persons who have an ideological grudge against certain cities they view as more liberal.

I was surprised it was from JTF because I respect most of his positions a great deal. They are almost always based in facts and not emotions, and he is almost always more knowledgeable about the subject than 98% of the other posters.

I love OKC and have chosen to live here for more than a half century. But having traveled extensively for those years, I have a hard time disagreeing with OKC being one of the dirtier cities. Trash on the streets, in parking areas, in public areas, in private yards, is pervasive. I wish more people were proud of their neighborhoods and cities and took more care to not create trash and eyesores. It costs nothing to stoop over and pick up a piece of trash, or to not throw it down in the first place.

I apologize for "eye rolling" comments. I just read a lot of ill or un-informed information on this board from time to time and question it. I tend to think of this board as a non-typical social media with a higher standard for facts. I often try to present a counter point and question of the basis of an opinion or observation that seems to be, or I know to be off the rails. When we challenge each other in a good way, I think we all become better informed and less naïve. I have been informed many times based on what I have read here and have changed opinions because of it.

Yeah, to be so quick to make it political just makes me want to jump ship, that's why I fired back. And anecdotal evidence is also known as eye-witness evidence, which should carry weight! I see parts of a city that are trashed, then I can report on what I see! We should be able to come on here and not make these comments politically charged.

In my travels both here and abroad, I have noticed that cities have just become more unkempt over the years. Actually, two weeks ago I was in the Chicago area and I was shocked by how litter-filled certain public spaces were. Same along the highways in the St. Louis area. I thought it was more of an OKC problem, so I specifically look for it when on the road just to see how we are doing. Bottom line is, where there are lots of people, there's generally lots of litter. We were in Dublin and Belfast in November and same thing. Plus, way more graffiti over there, and in other US cities compared to here, which is really nice to not have a lot of. Even driving from the airport in Manchester, NH each summer I am always surprised to see how much graffiti there is on NH (!) highway infrastructure. Other cities with lots of trash and graffiti I have seen in person lately would be Portland, Oregon (really, really bad and much worse than even 5 years ago) and Phoenix. Here, I really believe that our wind causes 50% of our litter. Stuff escapes people's trash bins, hands, and truck beds (totally preventable and maddening though it is) and that is why we see more litter here. Truly, I think it plays a part in it.

And many just don't care. Throw it out the window for someone else to (maybe) pick up

If you look at the methodology, CO2 output is weighted more heavily than other catagories. Recycling is also weighted more. Being a car centric city, it's not surprising they rated us low on air polution.

The blog I'm sure makes money from clicks on ads selling electric mowers so its helps to make people in a region known for lots of lawns to feel bad.

If you look at the methodology, CO2 output is weighted more heavily than other catagories. Recycling is also weighted more. Being a car centric city, it's not surprising they rated us low on air polution.

The blog I'm sure makes money from clicks on ads selling electric mowers so its helps to make people in a region known for lots of lawns to feel bad.

Virtually all content platforms try to make money from people viewing them. Doesn’t make the info either true or not true. At least this site published their criteria. Everyone can accept its validity or not. We all tend to love those that flatter us and denigrate those that make us look bad.

The human waste on sidewalks isn’t a problem here because OKC doesn’t have any sidewalks. We are playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers.

LOL OKC has just as many sidewalks as any similar city. It isn't New York.

Virtually all content platforms try to make money from people viewing them. Doesn’t make the info either true or not true. At least this site published their criteria. Everyone can accept its validity or not. We all tend to love those that flatter us and denigrate those that make us look bad.

Well, truth and accuracy has a little to do with responsible reporting.

Well, truth and accuracy has a little to do with responsible reporting.

Right. But many people believe things as true and accurate if they agree with it and untrue if they don't.... sometimes even in the face of overwhelming evidence. And many confuse opinion media with news media.

Opinion layed out as fact for national distribution.

A big problem with OKC is the wind and the shear size of the city. It covers 620+ square miles so lots of litter and debris gets blown around making it look trashy. One thing that would help is if the city would more plant and cultivate trees which serves a good purpose as they generate oxygen and results in a cleaner environment. More landscaped medians with plants and flowers that do not require extensive maintenance and water. Also, put more trash receptacles all over the city and perhaps this will encourage people not to litter and do the responsible thing in disposing of their litter.

A big problem with OKC is the wind and the shear size of the city. It covers 620+ square miles so lots of litter and debris gets blown around making it look trashy. One thing that would help is if the city would more plant and cultivate trees which serves a good purpose as they generate oxygen and results in a cleaner environment. More landscaped medians with plants and flowers that do not require extensive maintenance and water. Also, put more trash receptacles all over the city and perhaps this will encourage people not to litter and do the responsible thing in disposing of their litter.
The wind isn’t responsible for trash. The size of the city isn’t either. People create trash. Flower beds and trees don’t stop people from creating trash and not controlling it. People using the outdoors as their trash receptacle is a problem.

The wind isn’t responsible for trash. The size of the city isn’t either. People create trash. Flower beds and trees don’t stop people from creating trash and not controlling it. People using the outdoors as their trash receptacle is a problem.

Of course people create trash, and the wind isn't responsible for stuff that it can't pick up and blow around like bottles and crumpled up fast food bags with food and packaging inside it, but things like plastic shopping bags, paper, wrappers, that stuff does get away from people and trash cans with our frequent wind.

The human waste on sidewalks isn’t a problem here because OKC doesn’t have any sidewalks. We are playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers.

Ive had to remove multiple human waste piles on the sidewalks downtown.

Of course people create trash, and the wind isn't responsible for stuff that it can't pick up and blow around like bottles and crumpled up fast food bags with food and packaging inside it, but things like plastic shopping bags, paper, wrappers, that stuff does get away from people and trash cans with our frequent wind.
If properly disposed trash won’t just get away. Way too many excuses for lazy and thoughtless handling of our own waste.

If properly disposed trash won’t just get away. Way too many excuses for lazy and thoughtless handling of our own waste.

Actually, I've seen things get blown out of trash bins that the trucks are emptying, so unless you tie up everything into a bag *and* it's heavy enough to not be caught by the wind, properly-disposed-of trash *will* just get away at times. Not often, admittedly, but it does happen.

I have noticed most other cities I have visited recently to be way more dirty that OKC.

My nephew stopped in for a few days last summer. He said he wished Toledo was this clean.

Actually, I've seen things get blown out of trash bins that the trucks are emptying, so unless you tie up everything into a bag *and* it's heavy enough to not be caught by the wind, properly-disposed-of trash *will* just get away at times. Not often, admittedly, but it does happen.

I pick up trash in my yard every time the trash trucks run in OKC south of me. My side of the street is Warr Acres. South of me is OKC. We don't use big blue cans by the curb. Our trash service is still the old way with pick up by the house by walkers pulling cans on wheels and taking it to the truck on the street. I agree with people should bag their trash and yet I got chastised in another thread for saying I bag up leaves.

If properly disposed trash won’t just get away. Way too many excuses for lazy and thoughtless handling of our own waste.

It's not an excuse, it's fact. Could people do better, of course! Lots better! I am not a sinless waste disposer like you, I guess, and I have had things get away from me! Each day after the trash day in my neighborhood, I take a garbage bag and picker with me on my daily walk and try to get everything that has blown out of cans. Yes, some is due to lazyness, but we have lots of wind and some is accidental. Like Travellers, I have seen things get away when the trucks are servicing the cans and when they are running down the road! I have written MBI which is the contractor that hauls trash to the OKC dump from the Edmond transfer station and they told me they are doing the best they can keeping things in those trailers, but some things blow out. Not going to argue this point anymore.

I can see OKC rated as a dirty city. The exits off I-40 are atrocious. Not mowed, weeds, nasty gutters, litter, etc. They don’t even sod the green areas after construction. Why don’t all the MAPS projects include a perpetual maintenance program that would beautify the city instead of building buildings and parks that are not maintained impeccably?

I can see OKC rated as a dirty city. The exits off I-40 are atrocious. Not mowed, weeds, nasty gutters, litter, etc. They don’t even sod the green areas after construction. Why don’t all the MAPS projects include a perpetual maintenance program that would beautify the city instead of building buildings and parks that are not maintained impeccably?

It's generally not a good idea to tie a perpetually reoccurring cost like that to a "temporary" program like MAPS - the idea being that although voters have blessed renewals of the MAPS program every time since the beginning, each round is still time-limited and there is the possibility that future MAPS programs could fail at the ballot box. Also keep in mind that ODOT - not the city - is responsible for maintenance and cleanup along the highways and on/off ramps.

That said, I 100% agree that both OKC and ODOT needs to fund further beautification efforts through regular ongoing maintenance and garbage collection. The wind works against us here so we really need to step up efforts to keep things looking tidy and nice.